talkmagic.co.uk

Discombobulator wrote:In the UK you have to be careful about any claims your make. In 2008 the 'Consumer Protection' law was amended to include psychics, mediums and other practitioners of the paranormal. You cannot make unsubstantiated claims to have 'special powers.' In essence this means displaying a notice (or small print) which says that what you do is 'for entertainment only'.

Yeah, but i don't think it's meant to apply to displays of magic and/or mentalism. I think it's more to do with fake mediumship. I don't really see me being dragged out of wedding reception by the rozzers for claiming to be psychic as I correctly divine the chosen playing card.

The trouble with mediumship is, how do you prove it's fake? I think the law actually means that if you're not happy with the service you were provided, you can ask for your money back. If the medium (or whatever) fails to give you your money back then you can take them to court.

I may be wrong though.

If anyone ever gets taken to court for being a fraudulent medium I will walk naked along Blackpool front.* But even if they did get taken to court, just imagine how successful they would become. A veritable cause celebre.

*I actually won't. The phrase was made for entertainment purposes only.

I just say I'm the son of God and king of the Jews.
Not my line, it's been used in the past with great results. A lot of people go for that one.

A_n_t wrote:I think Paul's point is - it doesn't matter.

It does in terms of your advertising materials.

If you claim you can do things you can't and advertise your ability to do things you can't, the ASA will now remove your advert.

Oh the tiiiiiimes they are a chaaaaaangin'

Dye Vernon wrote:
It does in terms of your advertising materials.

If you claim you can do things you can't and advertise your ability to do things you can't, the ASA will now remove your advert.

Oh the tiiiiiimes they are a chaaaaaangin'

So, like, if you claim to do "magic" they can remove your ad. Because clearly one can't do magic really. That would be just impossible.

Kids' entertainers and finger flickers beware - there's a Bob Dylan classic closing in on you!

themagicwand wrote:So, like, if you claim to do "magic" they can remove your ad. Because clearly one can't do magic really. That would be just impossible.

http://www.asa.org.uk/ASA-action/Adjudi ... ic#results

I can't find a single case of a magician claiming he has real magic powers having an advert removed. But most people know magic isn't real. Sadly, some vulnerable and lonely people really think psychics are real and spend millions and millions a year on products and services that are snake oil. I think it's that the ASA want to stop.

As with similar threads that are currently doing the rounds on TM, I intend to now back away disgracefully from any further discussion. I would like to point out that I don't call myself a medium and don't work as a medium and am highly dubious of mediumship. However I did think this whole issue of what is allowed in advertising and what isn't allowed was so hugely important to us all that it was worth investigating. So I phoned the ASA/CAP.

The long and the short of it is that anyone can use words such as "psychic", "medium", "clairvoyant", "magician", "mind-reader" etc in their advertising. However it is the claims made in the advertising that is of interest to the ASA. To claim that you are a psychic who can see the future would fall foul of the ASA, but to claim that you are a psychic and will listen and offer advice would not fall foul of the ASA. It's not the words that are against advertising regulations, but the claims made alongside them in ad copy.

Calling yourself a "psychic entertainer" is absolutely fine as the title explains it all immediately to anyone reading it.

There, homework done, time for tea.

themagicwand wrote:I phoned the ASA/CAP.

it is the claims made in the advertising that is of interest to the ASA. To claim that you are a psychic who can see the future would fall foul of the ASA,

Yeah, that's exactly what I told you a few posts ago:

"If you claim you can do things you can't and advertise your ability to do things you can't, the ASA will now remove your advert."



Enjoy your tea.

I've made spicy pork meatballs in a chorizo tomato sauce and will have that with some spuds and carrots from the garden. Yum.

"This is an ordinary deck of cards"......No it isn't! Call the ASA!

"Your card is now lost in the deck".... You controlled it! Call the ASA!

"I shall put this coin in my left hand"... No he didn't.. call the ASA!

So how come Dynamo advertised he was going to walk on water?

Lord Freddie wrote:"This is an ordinary deck of cards"......No it isn't! Call the ASA!

"Your card is now lost in the deck".... You controlled it! Call the ASA!

"I shall put this coin in my left hand"... No he didn't.. call the ASA!

LOL!

I think it's more intended to protect consumers from people making claims they can speak to the dead etc. Although if they could pass a bill to stop people doing bad double lifts on youtube that'd be good.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7351199.stm

If I can start a new religion and have people worship at the church of me, all the better. I let my audience believe whatever they wish as long as they recognize the fact that I am a far superior being.

Doesn't matter anyway, they will believe what they wish.

themagicwand wrote:

Dye Vernon wrote:
It does in terms of your advertising materials.

If you claim you can do things you can't and advertise your ability to do things you can't, the ASA will now remove your advert.

Oh the tiiiiiimes they are a chaaaaaangin'

So, like, if you claim to do "magic" they can remove your ad. Because clearly one can't do magic really. That would be just impossible.

Kids' entertainers and finger flickers beware - there's a Bob Dylan classic closing in on you!

In the words of the old man I used to care but things have changed.

Now, I tell the truth- I am not really mind reading, I am using tricks to make it appear as if I am mind reading.

That can be interpreted however people want to interpret it. The serious psychics are so used to twisting even honesty as explicit as this into evidence for their strange and meaningless doctrines. The serious skeptic will take it as evidence that mind reading is all trickery and can be done deceptivley. The psychology people will interpret it that I am using non verbal communication. People have a habit of seeing the truth as they want to see it, rather than as it is. My aim is to create a little antagonism in the minds of all of these people who are trying to explain what I am doing, because learning to see the truth as it is and not as one wants to see it, or as one is told to see it by someone who may be lying is the extent of the value I place on mentalism. It keeps me on my toes and makes me try and perform the most deceptive effects I can. My aim is to make those who I perform to doubt that I'm using tricks. That way I know I'm doing my job properly.

Furthermore, this gets me out of this endless cycle... of absurd debates. And gives me something new to be doing with mentalism. Everything else seems so tired and dull to me.

bmat wrote:If I can start a new religion and have people worship at the church of me, all the better. I let my audience believe whatever they wish as long as they recognize the fact that I am a far superior being.

Doesn't matter anyway, they will believe what they wish.

When I first read this I thought it was a Mark Lewis post

There is a truth in it however, especially when it comes to mentalism and you will find it in the words of Larsen, Dante and a number of other early 20th to mid-20th century performers; It is not our position to claim or negate the validity of things psychic, paranormal nor the powers of the mind, heart and soul. we present the information as a series of amusing and hopefully balanced anecdotes & experiments leaving it to the public to decide what is what on their own based on what we have shared and what they have both, studied & experienced. We are not evangelists out to sell a gospel, no matter what the message.

Unfortunately, a hoard of anal-retentive, pseudo-intellects have, in the past ten years, elective to ignore this wisdom and worse of all, chosen to belittle Mentalism by viewing it as being "just a trick" rather than remembering what it was like to experience the marvel of things magical and the fact that it is a matter of our job description, to deliver just such an experience to those entrusting us with their time and gratuities.

My claims are very truthful. I say That I am cheating, draw attention to the whole lying aspect. I understand this isn't the usual way of doing it (or the most encouraged) But it works for me, it means thay know I'm not lying to them any more than I have to and they just enjoy the tricks for what they are, an entertaining, mystifying and enjoyable way of cheating.